Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-02-03
A BAD CUSTOM.
Some Reasons Why a Man Should Not Loan
His Lighted Cigar.

Some Reasons Why a Man Should Not Loan
His Lighted Cigar.
placid and callow looking young
man, who wore silk hat, fur-trimmed
coat, light over CATERS, and patent leath-
er shoes, tripped nimbly up to a we'll
fed man seated in the Lindell hotel lobby
yesterday and raised a mutilated snipe
to his lips with, ga light if you please?"
The we'll fed men continued to work his
half smoked cigar while he made care
ful search of seven of his pockets for
match. The placid half breed dude kept
an uneasy gate at the half burned cigar
Two minutes passed in that way, and the
we'll fed man was tired and he showed
it.
81 haven't match, but you can prob
ably get light at the cigar stand" said
he, rising to point out to the young man
an alcohol blaze not ten steps away
BEG y'r pawdon," gasped the callow
one, while flush of Indignation chased
over his face.
The welI-fed man resumed his seat and
pulled away serenity at his cigar There
seemed to be nothing new to him in the
occurrence, but it was not common those
about recognized it as a rare instance of
courage, and it was the theme for the
next half-hours chat
"That was right" observed the first to
speak" and though it is like an innovation
of the popular custom, it is common
sense act. | always carry matches for
the benefit of my friends, as we'll as my
self, and that I may be able to smoke my
own cigar, but chance to be caught with
out a match never have the courage to
10 o,1
ed for light. I consider it impertinence
to ask man for light off his cigar, but
custom has established that impertinence
SO firmly that you are criticised if you
attempt to inaugurate a new era for
smokers"
"It is old, weatherbeaten and foolish
that courtesy makes it necessary to let
every stranger without consider alton Of
his occupation handle your cigar" offer
ed gentleman on the other side of the
we11-Ted man. eff am smoking a cigar
and it is half or three quarters burned I
am not going to let a stranger handle it
and then return it to my mouth. gen
tleman who thinks before he acts would
not expect me to, and when I happen to
be without match and do not feel flush
enough to buy another cigar, I politely
q
match. 1t IS only occasionally you run
upon man who is so rude as to ask you
why you don't give him your cigar"
''But..if he should?"
"Well, in that case my explanation is
adapted to the length of time I have to
spend with the person. There are a
thousand and one objectinns to the prac-
tice."
nr,lr inf foI
an attentive listener, "that I saw ply
stefan stop cutting the diseased flesh Of
patient and light cigar. Three min
ed the physician for light. he gave it
to him. would not have touched his
cigar, nor would allow him 30 touch one
I was smoking, for man is naturally
careless animal. There is an immense
number of persons whose business it is to
handle POISONOUS substances, and in addi-
ton to these there are not few who &C.
didentally touch a matter of which small
particle will faint a cigar. The most
minute speck of poison will cling to the
moistened part of cigar, and touched to
a chapped lip, may destroy your comfort
and the beauty of your face for weeks.
The drug clerk, compromising prescrip-
tions in which are deadly poisons, runs
out to get one of the ingredients of
another corner, and while on the way
considers it his unquestioned privilege,
under the present custom, to ask you for
Ia light. The chemist, the scientist, the
physician, and mechanics employed in
certain kinds of labor are equally DAN
gerous men to give or receive a light
from. One workman may have brass
dust on his fingers as he goes home from
work, but he does not consider that. I
will, and hereafter my cigar will be in
violate,